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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pitch — completely
  9. current — happening now
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. current — of water
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. current — electric
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com